If there were any justice, Brie Larson would be nominated for an Oscar for her electrifying performance in this wrenching, moving, woefully under-seen film that has a 98% “fresh” rating on RottenTomatoes.com. She plays a twenty-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers, where she must quell the demons of her unpredictable, volatile charges—in addition to her own.

The most original, startling, and indelible documentary of the past year. The once feared, now elderly leader of Indonesia’s notorious 1960s death squads re-enacts some of his crimes—and demonstrates his murder techniques—for a foreign film crew, lending a human face to unspeakable atrocities. “More terrifying than any horror film, and more intellectually adventurous than just about any 2013 release, The Act of Killing is a major achievement, a work about genocide that rightly earns its...

Jan Nemec’s impressive (and thoroughly cinematic) debut feature is an hallucinatory WWII film about the thoughts of two young Jewish men who manage to escape from a train bound for a concentration camp. It was co-written by celebrated Czech author Arnošt Lustig. “Masterful.” –Time Out New York. New 35mm print from the Czech National Film Archive, Prague.

The most original, startling, and indelible documentary of the past year. The once feared, now elderly leader of Indonesia’s notorious 1960s death squads re-enacts some of his crimes—and demonstrates his murder techniques—for a foreign film crew, lending a human face to unspeakable atrocities. “More terrifying than any horror film, and more intellectually adventurous than just about any 2013 release, The Act of Killing is a major achievement, a work about genocide that rightly earns its...

A recently orphaned teenage girl is enjoined by her brother and his gym buddies to seduce an aging, now-blind, ex-1960s-sword-and-sandal movie star (Rutger Hauer) so that they can rob the one-time Mr. Universe. But she and the strongman, both lost souls, discover an unexpected bond. From a novel by Roberto Bolaño. “Excitingly unclassifiable.” –Village Voice.

Five wry, surreal, subversive short stories by celebrated Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal (Closely Watched Trains) are brought to the screen by Jan Nemec and four other filmmaking firebrands in this omnibus film that is almost a manifesto of the Czech New Wave. Nemec’s segment is set in a nursing home, where two old men stay alive by telling each other stories of their illustrious lives. “Compelling time capsules of defiance and love.” –Village Voice.

A recently orphaned teenage girl is enjoined by her brother and his gym buddies to seduce an aging, now-blind, ex-1960s-sword-and-sandal movie star (Rutger Hauer) so that they can rob the one-time Mr. Universe. But she and the strongman, both lost souls, discover an unexpected bond. From a novel by Roberto Bolaño. “Excitingly unclassifiable.” –Village Voice.

If there were any justice, Brie Larson would be nominated for an Oscar for her electrifying performance in this wrenching, moving, woefully under-seen film that has a 98% “fresh” rating on RottenTomatoes.com. She plays a twenty-something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers, where she must quell the demons of her unpredictable, volatile charges—in addition to her own.

The third feature by the exceptionally talented young Maryland filmmaker Matthew Porterfield (Putty Hill) tells of an Irish teen runaway who seeks refuge in Baltimore with her aunt and uncle, both musicians, only to discover that they are in the middle of a tense separation. With Adèle Exarchopoulos, star of Blue Is the Warmest Color. "A dreamy, detached chronicle of dissolution and renewal." -NY Times.

Juliette Binoche is “mesmerizing” (Variety) in the new film from the director of Humanité and Hadewijch. Binoche plays emotionally troubled sculptor Camille Claudel, one-time model and lover of Auguste Rodin. Now confined to a mental institution, she tries to convince her doctor that she is sane, while waiting in hope for her poet brother, Paul Claudel. “Possibly Dumont’s finest.” –Film Comment.

Juliette Binoche is “mesmerizing” (Variety) in the new film from the director of Humanité and Hadewijch. Binoche plays emotionally troubled sculptor Camille Claudel, one-time model and lover of Auguste Rodin. Now confined to a mental institution, she tries to convince her doctor that she is sane, while waiting in hope for her poet brother, Paul Claudel. “Possibly Dumont’s finest.” –Film Comment.

Famous now for its torrid lesbian sex scenes, the 2013 Cannes Palme d'Or winner will be remembered for decades for its superlative performances and its heartbreaking delineation of a young woman's quest for true love and sexual fulfillment. Unmissable and unforgettable!

Pasolini’s sympathy for Italy’s underclass and his preference for non-professional actors can be seen in this, his first film. Set in a squalid section of Rome, the movie focuses on an impoverished young ne’er-do-well (“accattone” or “scrounger’) who scrapes together a paltry living as a pimp and petty thief. Film debut of Franco Citti (The Godfather).

Juliette Binoche is “mesmerizing” (Variety) in the new film from the director of Humanité and Hadewijch. Binoche plays emotionally troubled sculptor Camille Claudel, one-time model and lover of Auguste Rodin. Now confined to a mental institution, she tries to convince her doctor that she is sane, while waiting in hope for her poet brother, Paul Claudel. “Possibly Dumont’s finest.” –Film Comment.

The third feature by the exceptionally talented young Maryland filmmaker Matthew Porterfield (Putty Hill) tells of an Irish teen runaway who seeks refuge in Baltimore with her aunt and uncle, both musicians, only to discover that they are in the middle of a tense separation. With Adèle Exarchopoulos, star of Blue Is the Warmest Color. "A dreamy, detached chronicle of dissolution and renewal." -NY Times.

“Banned forever” by Czech authorities, this allegorical Czech New Wave classic tells of an outdoor, sit-down dinner party that is rudely interrupted by a gang of mysterious thugs. “The most famous and certainly one of the most important masterpieces of the Czech film renaissance.” –Amos Vogel, Film as a Subversive Art.

Famous now for its torrid lesbian sex scenes, the 2013 Cannes Palme d'Or winner will be remembered for decades for its superlative performances and its heartbreaking delineation of a young woman's quest for true love and sexual fulfillment. Unmissable and unforgettable!

Dr. Phillip J. Skerry, film scholar and Professor Emeritus at Lakeland Community College, has just published a new book that links physics (!) and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Dark Energy: Hitchcock’s Absolute Camera and the Physics of Cinematic Spacetime (Bloomsbury, 2013) “applies the theories of dark energy, entropy, black holes, and quantum mechanics to Hitchcock’s technological genius and camera aesthetics” (quoting the book jacket). Tonight Dr. Skerry explains some of his ideas as they...

Philadelphia’s war on the radical, African American activist group MOVE—which culminated on 5/13/85 with the city’s bombing of a MOVE-occupied row house, killing 11 and destroying 61 neighboring homes—is recounted via an assortment of newsreels and other archival film clips in this spellbinding found-footage assembly that unfolds like a suspense thriller. “A riveting chronicle…Seamlessly fashioned…Relives an incredible chapter in American history.” –NY Times.

The recent political upheavals in Egypt—from Tahrir Square and public elections to the removal of two presidents and recurrent military rule—are personalized in this galvanizing account of six young activists (a singer-songwriter, a human rights advocate, a Muslim Brotherhood member, et al.) and their very different roles in the revolution. This New York Film Festival selection won the world documentary prize at Sundance and a People’s Choice audience award at the Toronto Int’l Film Festival....

Probably the greatest life of Christ ever filmed! Pasolini turned exclusively to Matthew’s Gospel for this direct, unvarnished life of a radical, activist Jesus. It was shot in Italy in b&w with non-professional actors (including Pasolini’s mother). The magnificent music ranges from Bach to Billie Holiday. “Pasolini’s most satisfying movie.” –Time Out Film Guide.

The recent political upheavals in Egypt—from Tahrir Square and public elections to the removal of two presidents and recurrent military rule—are personalized in this galvanizing account of six young activists (a singer-songwriter, a human rights advocate, a Muslim Brotherhood member, et al.) and their very different roles in the revolution. This New York Film Festival selection won the world documentary prize at Sundance and a People’s Choice audience award at the Toronto Int’l Film Festival....

Philadelphia’s war on the radical, African American activist group MOVE—which culminated on 5/13/85 with the city’s bombing of a MOVE-occupied row house, killing 11 and destroying 61 neighboring homes—is recounted via an assortment of newsreels and other archival film clips in this spellbinding found-footage assembly that unfolds like a suspense thriller. “A riveting chronicle…Seamlessly fashioned…Relives an incredible chapter in American history.” –NY Times.

In Pasolini’s delightful comic fable, a father (Totò), his son (Ninetto Davoli), and a talking crow embark on a picaresque journey to emulate St. Francis of Assisi and bring the Gospel to the birds. Like The Gospel According to St. Matthew (see 1/18 at 5:00), this is a singular mix of Christianity and Marxism, with a terrific Ennio Morricone score. Subtitles.

Jan Nemec employs a series of hallucinatory visions to pay tribute to the late Czech Surrealist artist Marie Čermínová (known as Toyen) who sheltered a Jewish fellow painter in her Prague apartment during WWII.

The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the monumental events of the Civil Rights movement have largely been reduced to a handful of familiar film clips and sound bites. This epic documentary, produced by Ely Landau and newly restored to its long unseen, complete and uncut version, paints a sweeping, detailed picture of the years 1955 to 1968 via extensive archival news footage. Includes some complete speeches by Dr. King, as well as...

The late street photographer Vivian Maier is the shutterbug of the moment. Born in New York in 1926, raised in France, and living and working as a nanny in Chicago for 40 years, the reclusive Maier was secretly a prolific, self-taught photographer who documented life in the Windy City for decades. But her thousands of stunning pictures were never shown during her lifetime and, in fact, were only discovered after her 2009 death. A selection...

Lella and Massimo Vignelli are two of the world’s most influential designers. Among myriad accomplishments in many fields, they designed the NYC subway map and also popularized Helvetica to the U.S. The Italian-born couple is profiled in this new documentary. With Milton Glaser, Michael Bierut, Peter Eisenman, et al.

Here's a new, 50th-anniversary restoration of Chris (La Jetée) Marker's landmark essay film, a snapshot of Paris during the spring of 1962, after the end of the Algerian War. Marker and cameraman Pierre Lhomme cull 55 hours of interviews with Parisians (talking about both their personal lives and politics) into a witty two-and-a-half hour choral city symphony with interstitial narration spoken by Simone Signoret. Music by Michel Legrand. "Simultaneously illuminating and funny." -Time Out London....

Terence Stamp stars in one of Pasolini’s greatest and most enigmatic films. Stamp plays a mysterious man who moves in with a wealthy Italian family and proceeds to seduce everyone in the household—from the maid to family members of both sexes and different generations. With Silvana Mangano, Laura Betti, Ninetto Davoli, and Anne Wiazemsky. Music by Ennio Morricone. “[Pasolini’s] most perfect fusion of Marxism and religion…A film that is both political allegory and mystical fable.”...

Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Michel Subor, and Lola Créton head the all-star cast in Claire Denis' latest film, a noir nightmare in which a sailor goes ashore to investigate the recent suicide of his brother-in-law and the possible abuse of his traumatized niece. He uncovers an unsavory, morally bankrupt world of money, power, sex, duplicity, and betrayal. A 2013 New York Film Festival selection. "Grips you entirely." -NY Times.

Claire Denis’ most maligned—and perhaps misunderstood—film has been re-released by The Film Desk in a new 35mm color print. It’s a strange, shocking drama about an American newlywed (Vincent Gallo of The Brown Bunny) and a promiscuous French woman (Béatrice Dalle of Betty Blue) who discover that they share the same all-consuming, twisted sexual hunger. A mysterious medical clinic and radical scientific experiments enhance the creep factor. Music by the Tindersticks. “Five stars (highest rating)…[An]...

Claire Denis’ most maligned—and perhaps misunderstood—film has been re-released by The Film Desk in a new 35mm color print. It’s a strange, shocking drama about an American newlywed (Vincent Gallo of The Brown Bunny) and a promiscuous French woman (Béatrice Dalle of Betty Blue) who discover that they share the same all-consuming, twisted sexual hunger. A mysterious medical clinic and radical scientific experiments enhance the creep factor. Music by the Tindersticks. “Five stars (highest rating)…[An]...

Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Michel Subor, and Lola Créton head the all-star cast in Claire Denis' latest film, a noir nightmare in which a sailor goes ashore to investigate the recent suicide of his brother-in-law and the possible abuse of his traumatized niece. He uncovers an unsavory, morally bankrupt world of money, power, sex, duplicity, and betrayal. A 2013 New York Film Festival selection. "Grips you entirely." -NY Times.

Actor-director Beat Takeshi's funny-violent sequel to his 2010 yakuza thriller Outrage chronicles a nationwide war between two rival Japanese gangs that is ignited by an all-out police crackdown on organized crime. Voted third best Japanese film of 2012 by the Japanese movie magazine Kinema Junpo.

The new nail biter by HK crime movie master Johnnie To—about a captured drug lord who helps a narcotics cop pursue an even bigger fish—was one of the best reviewed movies of 2013: "the best Hong Kong action movie since Infernal Affairs" (San Francisco Chronicle); "close to greatness" (Time Out New York); "arguably [To's] best film" (Village Voice).

Jared Leto and Sarah Polley star in this ambitious, expansive sci-fi film from the director of Toto the Hero. It tells of 118-year-old Nemo Nobody, the last mortal man in a world that has achieved immortality, who reflects on the key moments in his life and on the alternate paths he could have taken. A cult classic in the making, Mr. Nobody won Magritte Awards (Belgian Oscars) for Best Film and Best Director and the...

This Belgian bluegrass (!) movie was nominated for five 2013 European Film Awards (the most nominations for any movie this year) including Best Film, Director, Actress (Veerle Baetens, who won), Actor, and Screenplay. It is also Belgium's official entry for this year's foreign film Oscar. The movie chronicles the love affair between a female tattoo artist and a Belgian banjo player, and the child who changes and challenges their relationship. Includes superb performances of traditional...